Lady Thorn

Lady Thorn
Catherine Archer

Jed McBride Had Come To England In Search Of His Long-Lost Son and instead found the heartfelt passion of the aristocratic Victoria Thorn. But the two came from different worlds, and his own sad history had proved that such an alliance was doomed from the start! T hough descended from fabled lovers, Lady Victoria Thorn feared a legendary love would never be hers.Rather, society demanded she preserve her bloodline with a safe and suitable match. But how suitable would the ton deem Jedidiah McBride, an American seafaring man who had sailed his way into her unguarded heart?

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#u7c7ff93e-86f1-56c7-b9b8-3684b826cda7)

Excerpt (#u8a477026-b756-58a3-8c91-543ae5a882de)

Dear Reader (#ud7b95dcd-1953-5850-81c3-48d34f655fc4)

Title Page (#u12c7612e-ab94-5839-ab5a-839d6759a1b6)

About the Author (#ue9d19383-f448-5fe9-8fd1-f681017f8ff4)

Dedication (#uf137a606-829f-5697-920a-c0415ffefb36)

Chapter One (#ua1560939-c4dd-514b-855e-a4add7e19b68)

Chapter Two (#u1100f9c0-bdfd-5783-8b35-43021ecc4113)

Chapter Three (#u989313ef-462e-50c2-822e-1315a520c41c)

Chapter Four (#u141802f9-0293-5d43-9905-c19c7272acbc)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

God, Jed thought, but she was so beautiful,

with her dark hair tumbling wildly down her back and curling about her face. He reached up to gently wipe the tear away with the back of his forefinger. “It’s all right to cry,” he told her softly.

Victoria shook her head stubbornly. “No, it isn’t. I haven’t cried since the day my parents were buried. Tears are not to be shed for little things.”

He could only stare down at her, his heart slamming against his chest in reaction to the pain revealed by her statement. “You are so brave. So beautiful,” he whispered.

She caught her breath, those gray eyes growing dark with an emotion he did not want to acknowledge, even as he felt an answering reaction stir in himself.

He could no longer pretend to deny the desire she felt for him. That he felt for her…

Dear Reader,

The heroine in Catherine Archer’s Lady Thorn, Victoria Thorn, is a descendant of the characters from Catherine’s first book for Harlequin, Rose Among Thorns. It’s the story of a Victorian heiress who is being pressured to find a suitable husband. Instead, she falls in love with a sea captain who promises her protection in exchange for her help in locating his son. Don’t miss this touching story from this gifted author whose tale we hope you’ll find, as Affaire de Coeur did, “impossible to put down.”

Josh Colter and Alexandria Gibson discover they are both looking for the same man in Susan Amarillas’s new Western, Wyoming Renegade. Susan’s last two books have won her 5

ratings from Affaire de Coeur, and fans have been eagerly awaiting this tale of two people who must choose between family, and love and honor.

USA Today bestselling and multiaward-winning author Ruth Langan’s new series, THE JEWELS OF TEXAS, moves into full swing with this month’s Jade, the story of a smalltown preacher who surrenders his soul to the town madam. And in Kate Kingsley’s new Western, The Scout’s Bride, a determined young widow decides to accept the help of a rugged army scout who has made himself her unwanted protector.

Whatever your taste in reading, we hope you’ll keep an eye out for all four titles wherever Harlequin Historicals are sold.

Sincerely,

Tracy Farrell

Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to: Harlequin Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Lady Thorn

Catherine Archer

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

CATHERINE ARCHER

has been hooked on historical romance since reading Jane Eyre at the age of twelve. She has an avid interest in history, particularly the medieval period. A homemaker and mother, Catherine lives with her husband, three children and dog in Alberta, Canada, where the long winters give this American transplant plenty of time to write.

This book is dedicated to my brothers, Russell, Michael and David, who are heroes in the rough, as most interesting heroes are.